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Evil Town

  • 1985
  • R
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
3.8/10
475
YOUR RATING
Evil Town (1985)
B-HorrorSupernatural HorrorHorror

Young people passing through a small town discover that an insane doctor is conducting sinister experiments on the town's youths to combat the aging process.Young people passing through a small town discover that an insane doctor is conducting sinister experiments on the town's youths to combat the aging process.Young people passing through a small town discover that an insane doctor is conducting sinister experiments on the town's youths to combat the aging process.

  • Directors
    • Curtis Hanson
    • Larry Spiegel
    • Peter S. Traynor
  • Writers
    • Larry Spiegel
    • Richard Benson
    • Royce D. Applegate
  • Stars
    • James Keach
    • Michele Marsh
    • Doria Cook-Nelson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    3.8/10
    475
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Curtis Hanson
      • Larry Spiegel
      • Peter S. Traynor
    • Writers
      • Larry Spiegel
      • Richard Benson
      • Royce D. Applegate
    • Stars
      • James Keach
      • Michele Marsh
      • Doria Cook-Nelson
    • 10User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos136

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    Top cast26

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    James Keach
    James Keach
    • Chris
    Michele Marsh
    Michele Marsh
    • Julie
    Doria Cook-Nelson
    Doria Cook-Nelson
    • Linda
    • (as Doria Cook)
    Robert Walker Jr.
    Robert Walker Jr.
    • Mike
    • (as Robert Walker)
    Dean Jagger
    Dean Jagger
    • Dr. Schaeffer
    Keith Hefner
    Keith Hefner
    • Harry
    Greg Finley
    Greg Finley
    • Wally
    E.J. André
    E.J. André
    • Earl
    • (as E.J. Andre)
    Dabbs Greer
    Dabbs Greer
    • Mr. Phelps
    Scott Hunter
    • Tony
    Lynda Wiesmeier
    Lynda Wiesmeier
    • Dianne
    • (as Lynda Weismeier)
    Christie Mossman
    Christie Mossman
    • Terrie
    • (as Christie Houser)
    Noelle Harling
    Noelle Harling
    • Karen
    Paul McCauley
    • George
    Jillian Kesner
    Jillian Kesner
    • Dorothy
    Lurene Tuttle
    Lurene Tuttle
    • Mrs. Phelps
    Hope Summers
    Hope Summers
    • Mrs. Wylie
    • (as Hope Summer)
    Regis Toomey
    Regis Toomey
    • Doc. Hopper
    • Directors
      • Curtis Hanson
      • Larry Spiegel
      • Peter S. Traynor
    • Writers
      • Larry Spiegel
      • Richard Benson
      • Royce D. Applegate
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    3.8475
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    Featured reviews

    brandonsites1981

    * out of 4.

    Wretched film was the result of three (or two) unfinished films being edited together in order to create one film. The final results are a choppy and dull. What little plot there is, is about a crazed doctor bringing the dead back to life in order to create an army of zombies in a small town. Virtually no gore is present in this so called zombie outing and the film doesn't even entertain in a so bad it's good way. One of the absolute worst horror films to ever be made. Rated R.
    4Kastore

    Forget it, Jake. It's Evil Town!

    At least that's how I was hoping this movie would end. I managed to NOT absolutely hate this movie, although the rental synopsis was misleading. The only reason I tried "Evil Town" was my weakness for zombie movies, and this movie promised to be about a doctor who creates an army of the living dead. Not quite.

    I regard "Evil Town" as an ultra-cheap "Pulp Fiction" of B-grade horror movies. It basically has three plots, all involving the same group of people in a sleepy town. (If anything, watch this one to see the sign in the opening minute of the movie - Smalltown, Pop. 666, Elev. 13) One plot involves two perverts who get a kick out of kidnapping girls who are passing through. Another is about an escaped patient from the local hospital. And the third and major plot is about the aforementioned doctor performing experiments at the same hospital, creating an army of the brain-dead who don't end up doing anything anyway.

    So the acting is terrible. So the gore is non-existent. So the directing is flat and talentless. (The movie had 3 - count 'em, three - directors!) So the entire thing could be made by a group of friends and their immediate families. Hey, I know I've never seen a movie involving a town of rampaging senior citizens! If you want to see a movie where the only thing that sets the hero apart from all the other characters is his willingness to beat up old people, I say give "Evil Town" a quick view.
    2Vomitron_G

    Evil has no business in this town...

    Awful, wretched and plain lousy... Apparently this film was cut together from the remains of three unfinished films??? Maybe you wouldn't guess it right away (there's plenty of films out there that are an incoherent mess), but the ending really makes the film look like it was never finished.

    While extremely painful and super-boring to sit through, here's a few laughs I had:

    -- There's this blond bimbo (apparantly an ex-playmate) that keeps on running topless during the first act of the movie. And boy, look at those big cahoocha's! You'd say the director would show some respect and love when filming those two wonders of nature, but one "smoochy"-scene has her pressing her naked breasts against her boyfriend's chest in such a way that they just look plain wrong. Like one of them is mutated, or something. Best part has her running topless through the woods: bounce, wobble, shake, bump!

    -- There's a couple of scenes in which old people drug a young couple and fight with a young dude... all in slow-motion! They wave syringes, they get kicked in the face, fall on the ground, wrestle with the young dude... all in slow-motion!

    -- You'll never believe the town's evil doctor! Not only he can't act, he also has a speech-problem of sorts. The guy just can't articulate and stutters his every line. "Pituitary gland" comes out sounding "Patwooatwy gland" and even a simple word like "country" sounds like "cµntwee".

    And will you listen to that downright abominable and most inappropriate music on the soundtrack...

    EVIL TOWN is one of the worst "small town with a secret"-horror films I've ever seen. Oh, and in case you're wondering: There's no zombies in it.

    Two points for those cahoocha's as they always come in pairs. And that's it.
    4Uriah43

    Attack of the Geriatrics!

    From what I understand this film was actually started in 1984 and completed in 1987. However, it used segments of other films which were produced earlier such as "God Bless Dr. Shagetz" and I suppose this is the reason "Evil Town" carries a production date of 1977. Regardless, this movie is essentially about a scientist named "Dr. Schaeffer" (Dean Jagger) who has invented a serum extracted from the pituitary gland which can extend a person's life. This is great news for the elderly residents of the small town who benefit from Dr. Schaeffer's research. Unfortunately, it is terrible news for any unlucky travelers who have the misfortune to stop there for gas as they are subsequently abducted and used as donors. This results in their becoming mindless creatures who are incapable of supporting themselves. That's not to say that they are necessarily "zombies" but rather poor souls who are reduced to a semi-vegetative state. As such, I don't consider this to be a "zombie movie" by any current standard. In any case, although the movie certainly had potential, there really wasn't any great horror or suspense which might have made this movie stand out and as a result I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.
    3Sergiodave

    Idea was good.

    This movie is for B horror movie lovers only. The idea of the film is really good, though the execution is awful. The acting is terrible, though you might recognise a few actors. Dean Jagger, who plays the evil doctor looks the spitting image of Arthur C Clarke, which in itself is creepy. Surprised this hasn't been remade, in the right hands it could be good.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Shooting for this film started in Mendocino, California in late 1973 as "God Bless Grandma and Grandpa", under the direction of Curtis Hanson, who assumed the pseudonym "Edward Collins" and was, at one time, set to star Zalman King. Somewhere along the way, King dropped out and two additional directors, Larry Spiegel and Peter S. Traynor, stepped in. The film's title went from "God Bless Grandma and Grandpa" to "God Bless Dr. Shagetz", then "God Damn Dr. Shagetz", and finally just plain "Dr. Shagetz". It received a very limited theatrical release sometime in the late 1970s and then faded into complete obscurity until the mid-1980s (by which time some of its actors, such as Hope Summers, were already dead) when producer Mardi Rustam filmed new scenes for it, including some nude scenes with Lynda Wiesmeier, and it was re-titled "Evil Town" along with getting a 1985 copyright statement. By 1987, it had already found its way to home video.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Rewind This! (2013)

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    FAQ13

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • June 3, 1987 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dr. Shagetz
    • Filming locations
      • Mendocino, California, USA
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 22m(82 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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